Molting
by nightwyver
Summary: In a world of anamorphic Soldiers, summer was definitely the best and worst time for Cloud Strife. As the personal aide and lover of the winged General Sephiroth, summer molting also meant 'mating' season...


Molting

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VII

A/N: This is Slash! This is definitely 'M' rated territory, so no kids allowed. C/S variant, with a wing!kink. Implied dub-con in the beginning, nothing 'onscreen'. There are a lot of anamorphic traits in this story. Most of Sephiroth's OCC action is taken from research of real bird mating behavior. Needless to say, this is very AU. This is also my first romance attempt EVER!

Reviews = Love

_The beginning of summer was both the best time and the worst time for Cloud Strife. It was one of two molting times for the General, and the summer molt was the start of the 'mating' cycle…_

.

It was midafternoon at Shinra's Soldier administration building. The executive Soldier level on the fifty-fifth floor was all but empty. The Generals and most of the staff were at the training grounds either outside enjoying the first days of summer, or below using one of the hologram rooms. Only Cloud Strife, personal aide to General Sephiroth, was left working in the office.

Cloud sat at his desk in the General's own executive office, he preferred having his aide within reaching distance, working diligently through the reports and figures that would be need to be completed by the end of the day. His attention moved from the papers on the desk's surface to the computer and back without once looking out the great bay windows that made up the entire back wall of the room, or the glass doors that led to the balcony. He didn't have the time to daydream; he was already behind schedule as it was. After today, he wouldn't be getting any work done for the next three weeks.

There was a great honor to be made the personal aide of the great General. Cloud had been a nobody grunt several years ago when chance allowed him to meet his now best friend Lieutenant Zack Fair. That friendship put him in a position to catch the eye of General Sephiroth. While Cloud enjoyed the status that put him far above where he was used to, he never intended to jump the ladder as he did. When he joined Shinra, he planned to work his way up on his own talent and will; he had his pride after all. It just so happened that he met Sephiroth for the first time in the beginning of summer, and all his plans went out the window.

Summer, as Cloud found out, was the beginning of the mating season. It's a well-known secret that Soldiers were, as least at its inception, the products of massive experiments. Their genetics were crossed with other creature trying to form the perfect warrior. It was very successful, but not without its glitches. Several Soldiers, the General being a prime example, had mutated in unexpected ways taking on animalistic traits. His friend, Zack, was crossed with a wolf-like species that left him with keener senses than a normal human would ever have, it also left him with the ears, tail, and personality of a very hyper dog. In Sephiroth's case, it was a Great Big Bird! He had a twenty foot wingspan that for most of the year was an inky black and a strong fanning tail. He possessed an agility and grace both in the air and on land. He was strong, fearless and incredibly territorial.

On that fateful day, Sephiroth took one look at his chocobo gold hair and slight frame and decided that Cloud was his. Cloud was literally swept off the ground and carried off to the General's 'nest' where he didn't emerge for a month. Cloud could admit to himself that those first few months under the General's care were frightening, but they slowly worked through it. They now had a mostly stable, healthy, and loving relationship. Zack protested against the kidnapping and 'usage' of his innocent young friend in the beginning of course. The protests, however, fell on deaf ears. Shinra management had no problem whoring out low-ranking employees to keep their Soldiers happy. Cloud smiled as he shifted a finished pile out of his way, their disregard came back to bite them in the ass in the end. That bit of revenge was still sweet.

A large thump outside alerted Cloud that he was no longer alone. He looked up just in time to see Sephiroth open the balcony doors and come in. He was carrying a small package with him. His normal black plumage was all but gone. Only a few feathers stubbornly clung on. In their place were bold sapphire and silver bands laced with a burnish gold streaks. It was his mating plumage he used to attract his 'mate' every year, to attract him. Cloud didn't deny that it worked for him.

"Did you enjoy your posturing?" Cloud asked as Sephiroth walked over to him. Stupid birds and their rituals. It probably wouldn't be so bad if not for the fact that the other two Generals were also crossed with birds. The pecking order among the three could sometimes be brutal.

"It's not posturing." Sephiroth said as he pulled Cloud's chair back from his desk, "It's a necessary display to protect you from potential interlopers." He shoved the package into Cloud's hands. Sephiroth has been bringing him food gifts for the last couple of weeks as part of the ritual.

"Posturing." Cloud teased. He opened the bag and found three dumbapples. Cloud was touched; dumbapples were rare since the great fire that destroyed most of the orchards four years ago. They were slowly recovering, but at the moment the fruit was hard to come by. This gift must have cost a lot. Without thanking him, Cloud grabbed one of the apples and started eating it. He learned after the third cycle to never thank Sephiroth for anything he was given during this time. It would only upset the other man; he would think he wasn't taking good enough care of his intended. That was one crisis he wanted to avoid at all costs.

The sound of rustling feathers distracted Cloud from his treat. Sephiroth had maneuvered to stand behind him as he ate. His wings arched out to half cover Cloud. He looked up and saw Sephiroth leaning over the back of his chair smiling possessively down at him. Cloud reached up and pulled him down for a quick heated kiss that Sephiroth was more than happy to oblige. Their tongues played together lazily for a few minutes before Sephiroth pulled away, trailing a line of soft kisses up the side of his face to stand over Cloud again. He quickly finished off the last apple, licking his fingers free of juices.

"Are you ready?" Sephiroth asked. Cloud looked at the mostly finish paperwork scattering his desk. He wasn't quite done, but he knew Sephiroth wasn't willing to wait.

"Let me text Zack to come tie up loose ends and I'm all yours." Cloud said softly. It was very important not to appear too aggressive at this time. Most of the year Sephiroth was perfectly fine letting Cloud boss him around, but right now, any sign of dominance could be very dangerous. Sephiroth would attack any challenge to his claim, even if it came from Cloud.

"Alright, but leave your PHS here." Sephiroth huffed, and then leaned over Cloud's shoulder to read the text he sent.

_Zack, I'm done. Ppwk need filing cm tmrw – C_

He sent the text and tossed his PHS on the desk. Zack will take care of it while he's gone. He stood up and slowly walked to the balcony doors careful not to get too far from Sephiroth. He didn't need to worry as the General was right behind him, but it paid to be cautious. He stepped outside and waited impatiently for Sephiroth to pick him up. Flying with Sephiroth was probably one of his favorite things in the world to do.

Cloud was already starting to feel a flurry of anticipation for what was about to happen. Sephiroth quickly picked him up bridal style and Cloud was quick to wrap an arm around the man's neck. He pulled Cloud closer and started kissing and nibbling on his neck. Cloud let his head drop back to give him room to work, enjoying the little sparks of pleasure that coursed through him. He gently carded his fingers into Sephiroth's long feathery silver hair, petting and kneading it as he moaned softly from the attention. When he was satisfied with the marks he left, Sephiroth jumped up onto the balcony's wide rail.

"Hold on tight." He whispered and Cloud quickly adjusted his hold to wrap both arms around his neck. Sephiroth tightened his own grip, and without any further warning, dropped head first off the rail. The thrill of falling was unparalleled. Cloud's heart rate skyrocketed as they dived past the windows towards the fields below. Sephiroth's wings tightly wrapped around them, spinning them like a torpedo. Ten, twenty, thirty stories they fell before Sephiroth snapped his wings out to cut the sky as they left Shinra facilities far behind. A thousand times they've done this and Cloud never lost the exhilaration from it. Cloud carefully released one arm and extended it out, feeling the wind blow around it as they raced towards their home. Sephiroth slowly brought them higher up only to drop them in another minor freefall. Cloud gasped and grasped the man again. He laughed breathlessly, and heard Sephiroth chuckling softly in his ear. Sephiroth didn't normally play like this during the season, but Cloud wasn't going to question it. They danced in the air all the way to the ocean cliffs east of Midgar.

.

He brought them to the cave entrance that led to their home. Sephiroth loved it; the entrance was hundreds of feet up from the sea bed, it had been drilled into the side of the bluffs overlooking the ocean, and it was only accessible through flight. It took Cloud most of the first year to get used to being trapped and dependent on Sephiroth in there, but now it was just home. The interior itself was perfectly modern home with all the appliances and accommodations a person could possible want. It was Sephiroth's roost, it had comfort, security, and companionship…and it cost Shinra a bloody fortune to carve it out for them. They wouldn't be leaving it for the next three to five weeks.

The lights came on automatically as Cloud led them into their home. He took off his suit jacket and shoes at the mudroom and turned to help Sephiroth with his great leather coat and boots. The boots were easy to get off him, the coat was another matter. It was held together with belts and buckles in strategic, if impossible to reach, places so not to interfere with his flight. It was a two person job to get him into and out of it every day.

Cloud noticed several feathers out of alignment as he got the coat off and hung up properly. "You're a bit ruffled back here. Do you want to take the time to fix it?" Cloud asked hopefully. Preening, while dirty and time consuming, was another favorite of his. Sephiroth shifted one wing so he could look it over concideringly. "It's not really that bad…" he drawled off, and Cloud lowered his eyes in dejection "but if you have your heart set on it I not going to say 'no'." Cloud grinned and jumped up to give him a quick kiss before rushing off to get ready. He heard Sephiroth laugh and follow sedately behind.

There was a special room in their home just for the purpose of grooming Sephiroth's feathers. It was a massive cavern, well lit and tiled everywhere. It was constantly hot and humid in the chamber. A plastic and foam rubber chair, similar to a chiropractor's, was bolted in the middle near a drain. A hose with a shower nozzle hung from the ceiling on a track making it easy to maneuver around. Off to the side was a shelf that held special tools as well as pliers, scissors, and brushes designed to work for and around Sephiroth's massive wings.

Cloud stripped down to his boxers and got everything he thought he might need ready. Sephiroth walked in already naked and Cloud's brain short-circuited for the length of time it took for make his way to the chair and get comfortable. Sephiroth was truly an exquisitely beautiful man. Just the sight of him had him half hard. No matter how they started, Cloud knew he was one lucky son of a bitch to have him. He came back down to Gaia to see Sephiroth smirking at him.

"Well? This was your idea, so get to it." Sephiroth teased in anticipation. Cloud knew the man loved having his feathers preened as much as he loved to preen them.

Cloud started to walk behind him to get started only to get caught in the wing he was passing, and get reeled in. Sephiroth grabbed him close and pulled him into an immediately dominating kiss. His arms going around Cloud's back, one traveling up to grab his hair and control his head, the other venturing down into his boxers to knead his cheeks. Cloud instantly gave in and moaned deeply into Sephiroth's mouth. He wrapped his arms around the man's head, holding on as tightly as he dared. Sephiroth forced tongue his way past his lips and into his mouth to duel and subdue his own. Satisfied with Cloud's compliance, he started licking and tasting every centimeter of Cloud's mouth forcing more sounds from Cloud's lungs. Sephiroth pulled him even tighter and flapped his wings as he leaned back to make Cloud straddle him before pushing Cloud back to lean against the padded chair. With a powerful jerk, Sephiroth ripped the boxers clean off him. With Cloud pinned, Sephiroth pulled back from the kiss to leer at him. He ran his hands down Cloud's chest possessively, stopping momentarily to tweak his nipples before continuing down to grasp his hips and pull him firmly against Sephiroth's body.

Cloud couldn't stop the gasps and moans escaping him if he tried. He brought his own hands up to rub wantonly along Sephiroth's arms and shoulders, trying to pull him close. The sudden intense treatment had him hard, dripping, and begging for anything Sephiroth would give him. Sephiroth finally showed mercy and leaned forward to give Cloud another deep driving kiss while forcing Cloud to grind against his own length. The occasional flap of his wings driving Sephiroth's body hard into his own. Sephiroth broke the kiss again and moved down his jaw to bite and suck great welts into his neck and shoulders. Cloud didn't try to stop the high keening he let out as Sephiroth finally grabbed his erection with one hand and started teasing and playing with it.

He scrambles along Sephiroth's shoulders for something to hold before grabbing desperately at the wing joints that attach them to the main body and held on for dear life. Sephiroth groaned deeply from the sensation and a new fire lit him as he rose up to pound Cloud deeper into the chair grinding them together using his wing beats to provide the rhythm. Cloud wrapped his legs around him, opening his body further, and pressed his feet into the base of tail as he wailed from the pleasure. Sephiroth grunted into his neck and started seriously working both of them off. Cloud's mindless pleads and begs for more were cut off as Sephiroth dove in for one last biting kiss. With one last twist, Sephiroth brought them both over the edge and into freefall.

.

Cloud shuddered dazedly as he laid, still wrapped loosely around Sephiroth. Little aftershocks rippling through his body from where Sephiroth was gently licking his earlier bites. He released a deep gasp when Sephiroth grazed a particularly sensitive one.

Sephiroth chuckled lowly in his neck, "Back with me yet?" he asked in amusement.

"Nope." He kept his eyes closed and shook his head even as awareness came back to him. He started petting Sephiroth's hair again as he let himself return to reality. He finally opened his eyes to see Sephiroth's fond look directed at him. Cloud smiled serenely and leaned forward to chastely kiss Sephiroth on his cheek. He paused to rub his own cheek against him and breathe the man in. Sephiroth groaned and sat back, pulling cloud with him, Cloud was a boneless ragdoll and just slumped into him.

"I think the preening will have to wait for tomorrow." Sephiroth said with a small smile.

"But I…" Cloud started, uselessly flopping an arm at the wings.

"You are too far gone, my love." Sephiroth picked him up and carried him to the bedroom. "Relax, there's always tomorrow."

Cloud just murmured as Sephiroth tucked him into bed. He was out again before Sephiroth finish getting in next to him. Sephiroth just smiled down at him, then pulled the younger man half under him and closed his wings over them. There was always another tomorrow.


End file.
